For some, spring being in the air means newfound love and hope from a dreary winter that loomed well into this calendar year. But for many of us, spring being in the air is apparent by scratchy eyes and sinus headaches.
But get this: turns out cannabinoids — THC and CBD — are great aids in helping the body moderate the allergens that can affect the whole body. The reason mostly is that the major cause for irritation from allergies is via inflammation, be it nasal or airway.
"Cannabis seems to inhibit the inflammatory pathway," cannabis researcher and doctor Sue Sisley told Leafly. "And that certainly does relate to allergies because if you can cut the inflammatory pathway, then it could certainly help the untreated allergies, all the classic symptoms: the itchy, runny nose, itchiness, hives and all those kinds of things."
It is worth pointing out that the direct action of an anti-histamine or allergy medication will probably have more noticeable or swifter response to the symptoms, but the moderate aid of cannabis' anti-inflammation abilities is worth noting. Perhaps we could see a future of terpene sprays that are directly applied to the locations of severe inflammation?
Interestingly, cannabis not only serves as an anti-inflammatory but also a major reducer, or at the least leveler, of histamines throughout the body. Histamines serve an important tool as antibodies that fight off the pollen and other culprits of outward harm towards your body. They are a response from your body to ward off getting sick or ill, though often they go overboard.
Scratchy eyes and closed throats are often due to histamine level spikes when your body becomes a bit dramatic over what it is dealing with. A 2009 study found that lab mice given cannabinoids had a noticeable reduction in white blood cell production (a common antibody response). And a 2014 study promoted the idea that terpenes also may play a role in antibody production by mice.
Thanks to legalization, there are plenty of CBD and THC oral sprays that can help those dealing with asthmatic responses to pesky seasonal allergies. ♦
